Yellow Pages
This isn’t a large parking lot. When you take into consideration the trailhead is also used by those trekking to the top of Mount Erie, well, it can be a bit tight.
Also worth noting is that vehicle break-ins are not out of the norm. Make sure the rig is locked and any valuable items taken with you.
Anacortes Forest Lands, of which Sugarload Mountain is a part, consists of miles of trails. The trails are marked, usually with a number painted on a board that is nailed to a tree. The numbers, however, will not mean a thing if you don’t have a map.
So, here are your options: commit the map at the trailhead kiosk to memory, scribble down the numbers of the trails you need to take, or buy a map from area merchants.
Once you get situated, be prepared for a hike that is a steady climb. The effort, however, is worth it. The views from Sugarloaf’s bald bluff are spectacular.
Distance: 2 1/2 miles
Destination: Summit of Sugarloaf Mountain
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation gain: 660 feet
Getting there: Take Highway 20 toward Oak Harbor. Turn right on Campbell Lake Road. Follow the road for 1.5 miles to the old service station that is now Lake Erie Grocery. Go right at the “Y” intersection. In 1.4 miles, turn right at the sign for Mount Erie Viewpoint. Continue for a couple hundred feet, passing Mount Erie Road (which leads to the top of Mount Erie) on the right and arrive at the parking area.
The Trek: Pick up Trail 215 behind the trailhead kiosk and set out. This first section is flat, well maintained, and lush with trees and a thick understory. The water table is close to the surface. Skunk cabbage borders a section of the path.
Pass a marsh as the trail narrows to well-trodden single track. On both sides, toppled trees dominate the landscape. As with many trails, winter took its toll on this one.
In a quarter-mile, near a massive cedar tree, encounter Trail 320. This hiker-only trail leads to Heart Lake. Stay straight on Trail 215 to continue to the top of Sugarloaf.
Just past the majestic cedar, the trail begins to climb. And it continues to get steeper. Ferns replace skunk cabbage and Douglas firs replace cedars as the incline continues. The pitch certainly gets your attention.
The trail levels out momentarily, then begins to climb once again.
Continue past Trail 225 on the left, sticking to 215. Round a bend and dip downhill before the trail levels out as it twists and turns among trees and boulders.
Now running along a cliff face, the trail becomes rocky and root strewn. A glimpse of what is to come can be seen through the trees. Round another bend and venture underneath a fallen tree that spans the trail.
Head uphill, passing several large firs along the way. Pass Trail 227 — another hiker-only path — on the left. Stick to 215.
Pass a massive rootball on the left before reaching a short spur trail to the right. Venture to the right to reach a small, rocky outcropping that provides spectacular views to the northwest.
Returning to Trail 215, continue to the right.
At one mile, turn left on Trail 226. It immediately switchbacks and climbs to the left.
Reaching another intersection, venture through the log gate on Trail No. 238. Hop over a log, then climb over a big tree and under a smaller one before breaking out atop Sugarloaf.
The summit itself is nothing spectacular. It is just a patch of rock dotted with a few trees, and littered with needles, brush and patches of grass.
It is the views that makes this a worthwhile trek. In front of you is Mount Erie. To the west are various San Juan Islands.
After taking in the views and maybe seeing a couple of soaring eagles or turkey vultures, begin the trek back to the rig.
Sugarloaf Mountain
Vince Richardson
The views from Sugarloaf Mountain are impressive.
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